Top 20 Most Common Mushrooms in Upper Hutt

Southern cinnabar polypore grows in a variety of contexts, though it prefers to grow on deadwood near open water sources. This mushroom fruits from the late summer to early winter. True to its name, young southern cinnabar polypore has a bright orange color that's similar to cinnabar but may fade in older age.

The anemone stinkhorn (Aseroe rubra) looks like a creature straight from the depths of the ocean…or perhaps a horror movie! This Australian native starts fruiting with a white, egg-like ball that breaks open to reveal bright red tentacle-like fingers that spread toward the sky with radial symmetry and the odor of rotting meat. It has spread to tropical and sub-tropical areas around the world and is potentially poisonous.

Armillaria root disease (Armillaria novae-zelandiae) is a pathogen fungus of trees that causes great damage to forests of New Zealand. The species is also found in South America and DNA data suggest that the armillaria root disease was initially a Gondwana species.

The mushrooms of the clouded funnel grow in rings on the forest floor across Europe and North America. In Britain and Ireland these have been called “fairy rings.” clouded funnels were once said to be edible, but modern research has found them to be mildly toxic and best avoided, as they cause extreme stomach upset in some people.

Extremely popular in many cuisines, this edible wild mushroom grows around the world near the roots of forest trees. In some regions, king bolete mushrooms are collected in great enough volumes that their sale can support entire families during the harvest season. King boletes are reported to be high in fiber, vitamins B and C, calcium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, and several antioxidants.

The enoki grows wild on dead elm trees, and is also cultivated for human use. This flavorful species (Flammulina velutipes) has been used in dishes around the world for generations, being particularly high in nutrients. Though store-bought enoki are often plain white, wild ones can be found in a range of colors.

The wrinkled coral (Clavulina rugosa) is distinctive, even among coral fungi. Whereas most species of coral fungi have smooth, single-stalked tendrils, the wrinkled coral has irregular branching tendrils, giving it a particularly otherworldly appearance. Its fruitbodies grow singly or in groups and can be found in wet, temperate forests across the world.

The caps of Mycena interrupta range from 0.8 to 2 cm, and they are a brilliant cyan blue colour. They are globose when emergent and then become a broad convex as they mature, with the centre of the cap slightly depressed. The caps are often sticky and appear slimy looking, particularly in moist weather. The length of the stipe typically ranges from 1 to 2 cm long and 0.1 to 0.2 cm thick. It is white, smooth and the base of the stipe is attached to the wood substrate by a flat white disk, similar to Mycena austrororida, which, unlike M. interrupta is attached to the wood substrate by a mass of clumped fine hairs. The gills are white, adnexed, with blue margins. The spores are white, smooth, ellipsoid and have dimensions of 7-10×4-6 µm. Unlike some other Mycena species, Mycena interrupta is not bioluminescent.

A native of Australia and New Zealand, the vividly colored, deep red ruby bonnet (Cruentomycena viscidocruenta) appears in small groups on woody debris in autumn and winter. Its scientific name means “sticky-bloody” and this is a good description of how the fruitbodies appear when wet.